Prometheus to Military-Mercantile Privatism

Prometheus to Military-Mercantile Privatism Prometheus Greek - 'forethought' -- a Titan deity in Greek mythology -- creator of man & greatest benefactor -- stole fire from Mount Olympus & gave it to man -- sided with Zeus & Olympian gods -- in struggle w/ Cronus (Kronos) & other Titans -- on the conquering side of the cataclysmic war of Gk. gods -- Titanomachy (Gk. mythology:  10-year series of battles Titans v. Olympians), where Zeus + Olympian gods defeated Cronus & other Titans -- Zeus punished Prometheus for theft of fire & gift to mortals -- overthrown by his son Zeus & imprisoned in Tartarus -- by chaining him to a rock in the Caucasus where an eagle eternally ate his liver -- Tartarus (Tartaros):  deep abyss dungeon of torment for wicked - prison for Titans -- as far below Hades as earth is from heaven -- Tartarus both a deity & a place in underworld comment: ancient Greeks fond of bird liver-eating punishments -- Tartarus:  only known in Hellenistic Jewish literature from Greek text 1 Enoch (400-200BC) -- god placed archangel Uriel in charge of world & of Tartus -- Tartus:  place where 200 fallen Watchers (angels) imprisoned -- Tartus appears in sections of Jewish Sibylline Oracles -- ascribed to:  ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses -- uttered divine revelations in frenzied state -- Sibylline Oracles - valuable info re classical mythology -- & early first millennium Gnostic, Jewish & Christian beliefs   -- Gnostic systems:  dualistic -- Gnosticism - anti-Judaism (principles) -- Gnostic ideas found in mystical study of Kabbalah -- Kabbalists originated in 1200s Provence - centre of Gnostic Cathars -- 13th-century Zohar ('Splendor') - foundational text:  Kabbalah -- written in style of Jewish Aramaic Midrash (Rabbinical homilies) -- clarifies x5 books of Torah with new Kabbalistic system -- Gnosticism pre-dated Christianity, included pre-Christian beliefs & practices common to -- early Christianity, Neoplatonism, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism -- esp. Zurvanism Zurvanism -- Zurvanism - extinct branch of Zoroastrianism:  divinity Zurvan -- sired opposite twins Zhura Mazda & Angra Mainyu -- Zurvanism / Zurvan:  god of infinite time and space - was:  aka ('one', 'alone') -- transcendental & neutral god without passion -- god for whom there was no distinction between good or evil -- Zurvanism:  royal sanction during Sassanid rule (226-651 AD) -- Zurvan related to late Sanskrit word sarva ('all', 'entire') -- Zoroastrianism originally monist religion -- 'monism' - there exists one single thing:  universe -- divisions artificial -- different types of 'monism' concept comment:  so we have the Iranian/Persian twins (Zurvanism) and the Greek mythology twins ... Greeks borrowed twins idea/story from the Iranians? Zurvanism "...dominant approach to the subject was that Zurvanite ideas originated in a confrontation of Iranian with Babylonian or Greek ideas, the Zurvanite hypothesis came to function as a shield to protect “proper” (Iranian) Zoroastrianism from a hybridized version of that religion that was contact-induced. This in turn led to the interpretation of Zurvanism as a “heresy” or even a “betrayal” of “true” Zoroastrianism, even though it clearly represented a dominant interpretation of Zoroastrian theology at the Sasanian court (Boyce, 1996)." http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvanism [comment:  this looks an interesting article ... not time to read fully.] Kronos -- leader & youngest of first generation of Titans -- divine descendants of Uranus, the sky & Gaia (earth) -- overthrew father & ruled in mythological Golden Age -- Golden Age, sequenced - each worse than one prior -- Golden Age associated with reign of Saturn -- primordial innocence & harmony in all of nature -- symbolism:  -- harpe (type of sickle), scythe, sickle, grain, snake, crow -- used to castrate & depose Uranus, his father -- patron of harvest -- identified with Roman deity, Saturn Catharism -- fm. Gk. Katharoi ('the pure [ones]') -- Christian dualist or Gnostic revival -- thrived southern Europe -- esp. northern Italy & southern France -- from 1100s tp 1300s -- taught by ascetic priests (abstinence) -- Catholic church denounced rituals of Catharism  -- Catharism - roots in Paulican movement, Armania & Byzantine Anatolia -- + Bogomils of First Bulgarian Empire -- influenced by Paulicans resettled in Thrace (Philipopolis) by the Byzantines -- Cather self-identification:  'Bons Hommes' ('good men') -- idea of TWO GODS or PRINCIPLES / one good & one evil -- CENTRAL TO Cathar beliefs catharsis -- purifying or cleaning of emotions -- release of emotiona tensions -- New Latin fm. Greek 'Katharsis' fm. 'kathairein' TO PURGE from katharos, PURE [thefreedictionary]   3100 BC - Stonehenge Stage 1  -  Completed -- Stonehenge stage 1 -- pre-dates Sumerian Cuneiform from proto-literate Uruk -- Stonehenge functions as: -- first enclosed cremation cemetery British Isles   -- this pre-dates oldest surviving Egyptian pyramid -- Stonehenge final stage;  altar, portal, station stones -- consideration of solar alignments demonstrated -- Stonehenge final stage predates:     -- Great Pyramid of Giza     -- Minoan civilisation (Crete)     -- Sumerian epics (written, surviving)     -- existence of Judeo-Christian / Islamic Abraham     -- Stonehenge Pre-dates:         -- Judaism         -- Christianity         -- Islamism         -- Hinduism         -- Buddhism         -- Jainism     -- Stonehenge Pre-dates scriptures of Hinduism:  Rig Veda     -- development of Stonehenge ends:  1600 BC -- completed Stonehenge predates:     -- earliest monotheistic religion:  Akhenaten, Egypt     -- Akkadian epics     -- biblical Exodus:  Israelites from Egypt     -- Vedic texts (Upanishads) - containing early emergence         re central concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism & Jainism     -- pyramid temples in Central America     -- the Torah     -- Jainism     -- Taoism     -- Buddhism     -- Confucianism     -- Zoroastrianism (earliest recorded:  440 BC)     -- trial of Socrates     -- Siege of Jerusalem (rise of Rabbinic Judaism)     -- Manichaean Gnosticism     -- Theodosius I declaration:        Nicene Christianity - as state religion of the Roman Empire  (380 AD)     -- decline of Rome 410         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion El - the Phoenician Kronos -- on encounter with Phoenicians & later Hebrews, Hellenes identified Semitic El with Kronos -- pre-Trojan War, Sanchuniathon (Phoenician historian) -- indicates Kronos originally Canaanite ruler who founded Byblos & was deified -- Kronus considered cruel & tempestuous force of chaos & disorder by Gks. -- Kronus considered intermediary between Uranus & Zeus -- was larger aspect of Roman religion / Saturnalia - festival in his honour -- at least one temple to Saturn existed in Roman kingdom Due to Kronos importance to Romans -- Kronos' Roman variant:  Saturn -- large influence on Western culture -- Saturday:  Latin Dies Saturni (Day of Saturn) Prometheus -- Latin fm. Greek -- Titan who stole fire from Olympus & gave it to man -- Zeus chained him to a rock & sent an eagle to eat his liver -- liver which grew back daily  / punishment -- chained until until Hercules freed him   [thefreedictionary] Epimetheus -- twin Titan brother of Prometheus -- 'after-thought' / 'hindsight'  catharsis -- purifying or cleaning of emotions -- release of emotions tensions -- New Latin fm. Greek 'Katharsis' fm. 'kathairein' TO PURGE from katharos, PURE [thefreedictionary] Sanchuniathon -- purported Phoenician author -- x3 lost works, originally Phoenician -- survives only in partial paraphrase & summary -- of Greek translation of Philo of Byblos -- fragments comprise most extended literary source -- re Phoenician religion (in Greek or Latin) -- Sanchuniathon wrote history of Jews -- based on information from priest of god Jevo -- priest:  Hierombal (ie Jeruba'al) -- history dedicated to Abelbal or Abibal, King of Berytus Byblos -- in Lebanon -- was:  Gubal, Canaanite city in Bronze Age -- was:  Gebal (Phoenician) Iron Age -- was:  Geval (Hebrew) -- much later:  Gibelet (during Crusades) -- Cannaanite/Phoenician name - Gubal, Gebal) -- fm. 'gb' = 'well' or 'origin' & El (supreme god of Byblos's pantheon -- now known by Arabic name:  Jubayl or Jbeil -- Arabic likely derived from Phoenician 'GBL' - boundary or mountain peak -- & other (Ugaritic, north-west Semitic) ... Arabic 'jabal' جبل = 'mountain' Hebrew: harar or hahr - hill, mountain Byblos (Giblet, Gibelet) -- important Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem -- military base in 1000 AD & 1100 AD -- ruled by Embriaco family -- Embriaco family - Genoese adventurers -- Guglielmo Embriaco  -- Genoese merchant & military leader -- he & brother arrive Jaffa 1099 w. squadron of galleys -- expedition:  private undertaking -- lumber from dismantled ships converted to siege towers -- assisted capture of Jaffa -- granted title:  consul of Genoese army -- Crusaders neeeded reinforcements -- Embriaco brings back fleeet of 26 or 27 galley, 4-6 cargo ships & to 4,000 men -- Genoese were promised one-third of proceeds of campaign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Embriaco Guglielmo Embriaco -- military leader First Crusade (1097-1104) -- commanded large Genoese fleets -- took ports of:     -- San Simeon     -- Arsuf     -- Casarea -- triumphant return to Genoa -- elected consul of republic 1102 -- virtual control of city, with relatives -- 1100s fortress tower of the family is near:  Santa Maria di Castello -- overlooks city & harbour -- heavily restored 1923 -- family extinct 1200s Guglielmo Embriaco      Opened trading colonies in:     -- Antioch     -- & other in 'holy land' -- Embriaco family  -- established a monopoly on trade to Antioch & Syria -- which was source of wealth & power -- family establishes self in Gibelet (Jubai) in Tripoli (Lebanon) -- remains 200 years, until disappearance with last Crusader states:  1290s EARLY CRUSADING:  MILITARY-MERCANTILE PRIVATISM of nobles: Embriaco Family -- old noble family of Genoa -- descended from:  Ghibeline Spinola clan -- played role in Genoese nobility conquering eastern trade routes -- & building commercial empire in Mediterranean 1000 AD to 1100 AD source above: Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia By Christopher Kleinhenz Philo of Byblos -- aka Herennius Phlon -- antiquarian writer - historical works in Greek -- known mainly re:  Phoenician history assembled from writings of Sanchuniathon -- Philo born 100s in Byblos, Lebanon -- lived in reign of Hadrian -- may have achieved status as Roman citizen -- Philo's writings mix up: -- Phoenician lore with Greek mythology, -- Zoroastrian beliefs & ancient Egyptian beliefs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurvanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartarus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibylline_Oracles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_%28mythology%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Embriaco *summary from various Wikipedia entries (unless otherwise marked) -- all look-ups not listed COMMENT What I looked at. Too tired to properly spell check. Want to keep looking, but I can't. Really tired & I've given myself a headache looking at this. LOL Got drawn to Stonehenge. Zurvanism sounds sensible:  if there was a god, surely it would be a neutral and indifferent one. *Maybe they're not as sensible as they seem ... yet another religion with a negative view of women. Wonder if anyone's done a study on this oddity of woman-hater religious devotees?